by SCOTT C

It's good to be home! Although two weeks is not close enough to what would constitute a proper stay in London, God knows I shall return. Good to see that the wheels are still turning right here in Montreal though, with all kinds of goodies for those of you wanting to make the best of your long weekend. For starters, Busta Flex comes all the way from France this Thursday, April 8, at Aria, with the whole Montreal crew in tow. The bill features Kwite Sane, Ray Ray, Stratège & Cobna, Bad News Brown, Gundei, Andromaike, and Dee from Atach Tatuq (what up, Dee!). Doors are at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. with tix $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

Check out another good Friday at This Old House when Tony Desypris and the Utopia's Paradise crew present a party in the old-school loft style that y'all love so much on Friday, April 9. Doors open at 10 p.m. with a grand tax of $6, so make your way down to 2080 de la Montagne (above Blue Lounge) and look for the red light.

I'll be subbing in for DJ Kobal at Blizzarts this Friday while he jets off to Paris to play with Roy Ayers. Not only do I have a stack of fresh new shit that I picked up in the U.K., but I'll have the pleasure of playing with my good friend DJ Venus. This girl has records for days, having run CHRY's Best Kept Secret radio show for nine years in Toronto with partner Dalia. Thing is, she's been up to her eyes in school while pursuing her MA at McGill, and hasn't played once in the six months since she moved here. I'm gonna fix that quick! Hip hop, bruk beat, soul, funk and house for the dancefloor, for only $4 at the door.

In other long weekend news, get a load of Christian Pronovost this Saturday when he works his magic at Nexxt alongside DJ Gregory. This is the very same DJ Gregory from France who, well known for his work on labels like Yellow, MAW and Africanism, now branches out with his own label Faya Combo. Expect Afro-Latin sounds, dirty disco and deep electronic house.

Don't forget the CD release party for Public Transit Recording artists LAL on Sunday, April 11, as they launch their new album Warm Belly High Power with a live six-piece performance at la Sala Rossa. LAL is the deep and soulful collaboration between vocalist Rosina Kazi and producer Nick Murray (aka Murr from Da Grassroots). Their music combines powerful songwriting with South Asian and West Indian sounds, wrapped up in hip hop, electronic and live instrumentation. Also on the bill are sets from Moonstarr and Dialect, and a modest cameo by me. Tix are $10 at the door, or $8 with a metro transfer, with all proceeds from the show going to No One Is Illegal and CKUT's annual fundraiser. Doors open at 10 p.m.

Avi, the king of Acton Town... fathead@videotron.ca

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